updated 11:15 am EDT, Fri September 1, 2006

Pioneer Hybrid BR/HDDVD

The ongoing format war between Blu-Ray and HD DVD has left many computer users reluctant to adopt drives and computers that only support a single next-generation format. Pioneer today announced an option that should satisfy buyers interested in future-proof storage. The upcoming BDR-103 drive will support playback and recording of both Blu-Ray and HD DVD media, the company announced today at the IFA expo. Though specifications are not yet ready, the drive should be available in the middle of 2007. An interim update to its existing Blu-Ray drive, to be named the BDR-102, will ship in 2007 and feature both dual-layer Blu-Ray recording as well as add legacy support for CD-R and CD-RW discs.